Overview
- The United States completed the withdrawal from its last bases in Iraq on Wednesday, a step analysts warn will expand space for Iran‑backed militias and could help Islamic State sleeper cells regroup by removing U.S. intelligence, air support and force protection.
- A Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv suffered a cockpit stabbing that sent the jet into an emergency descent and led to an unscheduled landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia after passengers and crew subdued the suspected Omani co‑pilot and the injured pilot received first aid.
- The Samajwadi Party formally filed Rajya Sabha nominations for Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav and industrialist Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani, and a photo showing a BJP minister with party leaders has prompted speculation of cross‑voting that could reshape the Uttar Pradesh contest.
- India is managing two active criminal probes that highlight institutional strain: a CISF head constable allegedly shot colleagues in a Kathua camp, killing several officers with the accused in custody, and the IIT Bombay student death investigation has yielded 40 recorded statements and digital devices sent to the FSL with an abetment FIR filed against a professor.
- Pulses have jumped roughly 10 percent in a month and ministers warn of broader food‑price pressure before the festival season as El Niño, drought reports and global supply risks raise the prospect of higher household food bills and political scrutiny of government response.